About one in 24 people in Morgan County, Utah, lives below the poverty line
In Morgan County, 4.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morgan County's score
In Morgan County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 34.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 5.0. People with a credit card behind: 1.8%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morgan County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Morgan County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 34.3 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector6.3% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.7 · 202539th percentile
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- 7.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.2% · 20245th or lower percentile
- Children below the poverty line4.1% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability7.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$126,482 · 20245th or lower percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent1.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.1% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.9% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Morgan County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Morgan County, 12.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morgan County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Morgan County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 10.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks
In Morgan County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 10.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 3.9% in 2017 to 2.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Morgan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 0.3%
Low on the chart: 0.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morgan County, Utah.
How Morgan County has changed
Morgan County's population had its largest rise, from 7,725 in 2004 to 9,318 in 2009.
Morgan County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,093, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 5,495. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morgan County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County had its largest rise in the last span, from 2,589 in 2020 to 3,639 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 3,639, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 1,935. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morgan County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.1% | 2024 4.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,251 | 2024 $126,482 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Morgan County's history
1862
Created January 17, 1862 from Davis, Great Salt Lake, Summit, and Weber counties. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,295, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morgan County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morgan County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Morgan County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morgan County ranks 5th of the six; Rich County is highest, at 16.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber County, UT | 32 | 8.9% | 16.5% |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 29 | 7.9% | 12.5% |
| Rich County, UT | 17 | 8.5% | 16.7% |
| Davis County, UT | 11 | 6.4% | 12.2% |
| Summit County, UT | 2 | 5.0% | 3.4% |
| Morgan County, UT | 1 | 4.2% | 10.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Morgan County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Morgan County's poverty rate was 4.2% in 2024, the lowest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Morgan County ranks 29th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morgan County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Morgan County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Morgan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.